Book Review | Sign of the Green Dragon by C Lee Mckenzie #atozchallenge2021

I’ve had the Sign of the Green Dragon on my TBR for quite a long time, and decided I’d better read it before I give up reading Middle Grade Books. Well, I may read some for fun, but I’m giving them up from a duty point of view.

C Lee Mckenzie is a wonderful blogger, whom I probably first met through the AtoZ. And I’m cheating my C with her first initial!

Sign of the Green Dragon

by C Lee Mackenzie

Three plucky sleuths. A crumbling skeleton. A buried treasure. 

After six months in a new school, Sam’s finally fitting in. He’s the one kid with enough talent to hit the winning home run and bring the baseball trophy back to Haggarty Elementary. But Sam’s guardian is shipping him off to boarding school before that can happen. 

When teammates, Joey and Roger, hear his bad news, they plot to hide him until the big game. Their secret cave is a perfect place until an earthquake shatters a wall and reveals a wooden chest with a red-eyed dragon carved into its top. Inside, a bony hand clutches a map with a note, promising treasure. 

With Joey and Roger, Sam sets off to track down the clues and hopefully discover treasure. When some puzzle pieces start to make sense, the boys become lost in a labyrinth of underground tunnels, trapped by dangerous thieves and sealed inside an airless tomb. 

Sign of the Green Dragon gets a high five for fantasy, fun and some fearsome adventure. If you like intrepid would-be knights on impossible and dangerous quests, you’ll love this story. As one reader says, this book, “has more twists than a dragon’s tail.” 

Buy now to jump into the adventure. [goodreads]

My Review

I was going to say that the blurb pretty much tells the story, but no, it really only covers the introduction. What happens after is fascinating, enthralling, and a bit scary at times. Sounds like the perfect recipe for a book for middle grade readers.

And it is. Ms Mckenzie also makes sure that younger keen readers or reluctant boys will continue with the story by her writing. It is clean, crisp, and short. The three boys are entertaining and a good mix of characters. Sam uses his head, Joey uses his temper, and Roger uses whatever comes to hand to solve the problems. I think I’ve got Roger and Joey the right way round – I did have trouble with that.

The other characters are sometimes stereotypical, but in this one horse town they end up, I can imagine the locals might live up to their stereotypes. Altogether an enjoyable adventure and good reading for young American boys.

And it’s a marvellous cover!